Hydrant



(No Model.) 7 R. M. HUNTER.

HYDRANT. N0. 260,397Q' Patented July 4, 1882.

s 'i? 1 21s .'I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HYDRANT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 260,397, dated July 4,1882.

Application filed March 9, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it; known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovementin Hydrants, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to hydrants in general, but more particularlyto what are known as fire-hydrants and it consists in a main orinductionvalve secured to the valverod, but adapted to slide verticallythereon, and a spring to keep said valve, or tend to keep the same,pressed against the end of said valve-rod; further, in providing themain or induction valve with a cylinder in which the head of thevalve-rod works, and a spring located in said cylinder and adapted tokeep the valve pressed up against the valve-rod; further, in combining amain or induction valve secured to and carried upon the valverod with awaste-valve, saidvalves always moving in the same direction, but soarranged that the waste is always closed before the main valve opens toany degree, and the main valve is always closedbel'ore the waste isopened; and in minor details of construction, all of which are fully setforth in the following specification and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a proper arrangement of valvesby which no unnecessary waste of water is allowed, either at theopeningand closing of the main valve or when the said valve is partly openand'when the hydrant is flushing gutters or filling streetwateringcarts.

In all hydrants provided with two valvesa main valve and wastevalve-thathave heretofore been used there was a constant waste of water, as thewaste-valve was never closed before the main valve opened, and vice.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improvedfire-hydrant, and Fig. 2 is a modified form of waste-valve.

A is the induction-chamber, which connects with the main by pipe B.Secured in this chamwhichisinternallyscrew-threaded. The stock or barrelD is screwed into said ring 0, and into the bottom of the barrel isscrewed the seat G for the main or induction valve H. The seat G andring (J are made of brass, to prevent them rusting fast to the ironstock D and chamber-casting A. The upper end of the stock is providedwith one or more nozzles, E, and is closed, as shown. Through astuffing-box, F, in the ciosed top of the stock, a cylinder, Q,internally screw-threaded, is arranged to rotate, but without verticalmovement. Working in this cylinder Q is the threaded end of thevalve-rod N, carrying at the bottom the main valve H and near the bottomthe waste-valve P. The waste-valve P may be made of any of thewell-known shapes and constructions, but that preferred is shown in Fig.1.

The main or induction valve is constructed as follows: A cylinder, I,preferably of brass, supports a ring-plate, K, upon which the leather orrubber valve L rests, and to which it is clamped by an upper plate, K,held-down by a perforated cap, J. The valve-rod N is provided on thebottom with a head or nut, 0, which works in the cylinder I of thevalve, and between this head 0 and cap J, and surrounding the valve-rod,is-a spring, M. By this construction the valve H may be n1ovedvertically upon the rod N 5 but the waste-valve P is always secured tosaid rod and worked,

positively by it, so that with a given movement of the valve-rod iteither opens or closes.

R is the usual frost'jacket, and p is the wasteorifice.

The operation is as follows: The valves being in the positions shown inFig. 1, if the handle g be turned, the valve-rod N willbe lowered As thevalve-rod descends the waste-valve P closes its orifice p,- and whenthis is accomplished the head 0 of said rod strikes the bottom of thecylinder I, the spring M having during said operation been graduallyexpanded, but keeping the valve H firmly against its seat G until thesaid head of the valve-rod presses the valve down by a positive and direct contact. All movement of the valve-rod after the waste-orifice isclosed tends to open the main or induction valve. In closing the hydrantthe reverse operation is the result. As the valve-rod ascends the valveH reaches its seat Gr before the waste-valve I? uncovers thewaste-orifice 1). After the main valve H is closed the upward movementof the valve-rod N compresses the spring M, and also uncovers thewaste-orifice 11. By this construction the induction-valve is lowered bya positive movement transmitted directly through the valverod to thevalve, but is raised by a springing or elastic movement, thereby closingthe hydrant without jarring effect. The spring M is practically undercompression at all times.

An important use of this hydrant lies in the fact that without anychange of parts it may be used as a non-wasting hydrant in summer and awasting hydrant in winter. To make it a non-wasting hydrant the operatorsimply closes the main valve, since the waste-valve never opens untilafter the main valve is closed. This is self-evident upon examining thedrawin gs. Therefore by the construction set forth a hydrant providedwith only two valves may be made perfectly non-freezing or non-wasting,as desired, will prevent all unnecessary loss of water, can be easilyrepaired, and is not liable to get out of repair.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction set forth, as it may bemodified in various ways.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In ahydrant, a main or induction valve at all times supported andcarried by the valverod, but free to slide vertically thereon.

2. In a hydrant, a main. or induction valve supported and carried by thevalve-rod, but free to slide thereon, in combination with a valve-seatand a spring to press said valve upward upon the valve-rod, said springbeing inclosed and excluded from the action of the flowing water.

3. In a hydrant, a main or induction valve supported and carried by thevalve-rod, but free to slide thereon, in combination with the valve-rodand a waste-valve uniformly and positively actuated thereby.

4. In a hydrant, a main or induction valve supported and carried by thevalve-rod, but free to slide thereon, in combination with a valve-rod, avalve-seat, springadapted to press said valve upward upon saidvalve-rod, and a waste-valve secured firmly upon said valve-rod.

5. In a hydrant, a waste-valve and a main or induction valve, bothsupported and carried by the same valve-rod, but so constructed that thewaste-valve shall have a greater movement than the main or inductionvalve.

6. In a hydrant, a valve-rod in combination with a waste-valve and aninduction-valve, both of which are carried by said valve-rod, saidvalves operating so that the waste-orifice is always closed before themain or induction valve leaves its seat, and vice versa.

7. In a hydrant, a main or induction valve supported upon the valve-rodand adapted to leave its seat only after the said valve-rod has beenpartly lowered, and always reach its seat before the valve-rod is fullyraised.

8. In a hydrant, a main valve and a wastevalve, both supported by a.single valve-rod, in combination with means by which said main valve ispressed upward upon said valve-rod, whereby the said hydrant may be madeeither wasting or nonwasting, as desired, and without changing any ofits parts.

9. In a hydrant, the combination of valverod N, valve-cylinder I,carrying valvepack ing L, cap J, or its equivalent, and spring M, as setforth.

10. In a hydrant, the combination of valve rod N, waste-valve I,main-valve cylinder I, carrying packing L, cap J, and spring M, as setforth.

11. In a hydrant, the valve-rod N, having head or not 0 on its end, incombination with valve-cylinder I, carrying packing L, cap J, or itsequivalent, and spring M, as shown.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER.

Witnesses:

ERNEST H. HUNTER, R. S. CHILD, Jr.

